Thermostatic controller.



G. A. JAMES.

THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLER. APPLICATIQN FILED SEPT-27, m5.

1,201 A69. Patented Oct. 17,1916.

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GEORGE A JAMES, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLER.

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Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Qct. 1*2, 1916.

2 Application filed September 27, 1915. Serial No. 52,846.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. JAMES, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Thermostatic.

Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relatesto thermostatic controllers for gaseousfuel.

One object of the invention is to provide such a controller by whichsome gas, even if a small amount, will always be admitted to the burner;in which the pressure of the gas will be balanced about thevalve-actuating mechanism; in which the amount of heat which istransmitted to the controller from the object heated can be varied tovary the sensitiveness of the control';in which the operation of thevalve will not be interfered with by the formation of liquid" depositsfrom the gaseous fuel; to provide'in such a controller means foraccurately adjusting the expansion member; and one in which the pressureof thegaseous fuel itself 1 will be used to lift" the valve from off itsseat. 4 p I v v A further object of the invention is to provide such acontroller in which the temperature at which the controlling mechanismoperates will be varied according to whether the fuel is or is not beingused to heat a cooking vessel, as to boil water.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of myimproved thermostatic controller applied to 'a radiator; Fig. 2 is anend elevation of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side View, partly in section, ofthe controller applied to a gas cooking stove; Fig. i is a similar viewof the same as applied to an oven.

Referring to'the drawing, 1 indicates a steam radiatorintowliich extendsa cylindrical plunger 2 leading through a stuffing box 3 having asuitable bearing 4 in which it can slide and connected at .its outer endwith the casing 6 of a controller 7.. To the outer edge of said casingis secured a cover plate 8 having formed therein conduits 9, 10, whichare connected to gaspipes 1'1, 12 leading to and from the controllerrespectively. The conduit 9 communicates with the interior of thecontroller by a circular series of small holes 13 the passage of thefuel through which can be controlled by a valve 14 having a stem 16slidable in a hole situated centrally with respect to the'series ofpassages. The conduit 10 communicates with the interior of the casing bya hole 17. When the valve is opened, gas can flow through the passagesinto the controller and out therefrom by the hole 17 into the conduit10. The valve is made with a mica plate 18 which comes in contact withsaid seat. It isfound that, owing to the low heat conductivity of mica,practically no condensation of the gas takes place on its surface, andowing to the smoothness of said surface no condensed liquid will remainthereon. Consequently the fit of' the valve to its seat never becomesimpaired by the deposition of. condensed gas upon the surface of thevalve. Said valve is attached to the free end of, an expansion member19, the other end of which is rigidly secured by rivets 21 and a block22 to the'cover plate. The expansion member is additionally, butadjustably, secured to the cover plate near the block 22 by means of amicrometer screw 23 having two threaded portions 24 and 26 of differentpitches screwed respectively through the cover plate and the expansionmember. The screw 23 is surrounded by a rubber washer 25 which acts aspacking to prevent the escape of gas from the interior of the casing.

Owing to the balanced gas pressure around the valve the Valve is neverheld tightly to its seat,and'a small amount of,

gas always escapes past said valve. It is desired that such should bethe case, and if necessary to produce this result, the mica face, or theseat, of the valve isscratched in order to let the gas escape betweenthe valve and its seat.

The temperature at which the'controller operates can be varied by movingthe pluncontrolled by the controller, and the plunger rod 32 enters a-movable cylinder 33, which is extended upwardly to form a stem 34.extended horizontally'at the top to form a disk 35,, which can support akettle or the like, a coiled spring 36 being interposed between theupperend of the cylinder and the plunger rod, lit a kettle be deposited uponthe disk, the disk is immediately lowered by the weight of the kettleacting against the pressure of the spring 36, and since, in thatposition, a greater extentv of surface, of the cylinder is in contactwith the plunger rod, a greater proportion of heat is transmitted to theplunger rod and controller. The controller can be so arranged that, whenthe water in the kettle is at boiling temperature, the gas fuel isautomatically shut off or reduced to a minimum,

Fig, 4 shows .a modification of the inven tion as applied to an oven. Inthis form of the invention the plunger rod carries a pointer 37, whichmoves over an indicating scale 3.8, which indicates the temperature atwhich the interior of the oven should be maintained. By moving theplunger rod in or out, any desired temperature of the oven can bemaintained by controlling the supply of gas so as to producesaidtemperature in the oven.

ll claim a a v 1. A thermostatic controller for fuel gas comprising acasing connected by heat con ducting material with an object heated bythe combustion of said. gas, a thermostatic member in said casing, and'avalve controlling the passage of said gas to the object' to be heated,and adapted to be raised from its seat by the pressure of the gas, andto be seated by the expansion of said thermostaticv member. I

'2. A thermostatic controller for fuel gas comprising a casing connectedby heat conpart. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set neonate I ducting material withan object heated by the combustion of said gas, a thermostatic member insaid casing, and a valve-controh ling the passageof said gas to theobject to be heated havlng a'mica face to contact with its seat, andadapted to be raised from its seat by the pressure of the gas, and to heseated by the expansion of said'thermostatic 1 member. v

3. A thermostatic controller for fuel gas comprising a casing connectedby heat conducting material with an object heated by the combustion ofsaid gas, a thermostatic member in said casing, and a valve in saidcasing controlling the entrance of gas into the casing and the passageof said gas tothe object to be heated, and adapted to be raised from itsseat by the pressure of the gas, and to be seated by the expansion ofsaid thermostatic member.

4:. In combination, a ring gas burner, a

metallic part extending upwardly there through and adaptedto contactwith a vessel placed upon said burner to be heated thereby, athermostatic controller fixedly secured relatively to the burner, asecond metallic part supported thereby and engaging said first-namedpart, and aspring between parts, supporting the first-named the two myhand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE A. JAMES, Witnesses:

, ll. M. .WRIei-rr D. B. RICHARDS.

